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The National Wildlife Federation's blogFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:00:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3NWF featured in “A Fierce Green Fire” on PBShttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/nwf-featured-in-a-fierce-green-fire-on-pbs/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/nwf-featured-in-a-fierce-green-fire-on-pbs/#commentsTue, 15 Apr 2014 16:52:17 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=94344NWF’s own Barbara Bramble is featured in A Fierce Green Fire, which traces the history of the grassroots and global environmental movement in the 20th century and beyond. The film, which is directed by Mark Kitchell, was featured at the Sundance Film Festival, and the DC Environmental Film Festival last year, and is inspired by the book of the same name by Philip Shabecoff.

PBS will air the national premiere of A Fierce Green Fire on Earth Day, April 22 from 9-10pm.

A Fierce Green Fire is separated into 5 chapters or “acts,” each chronicling a different era of the grassroots environmental movement since it took off in the 1960s, and each highlighting a story of the times. The stories are both profoundly personal and global in their impact, with focus on such activism as blocking dam construction in the Grand Canyon, the chemicals of Love Canal, Greenpeace’s anti-whaling campaign and rainforest protection in Brazil, where NWF is showcased. Its concluding chapter follows the struggle to address climate change, which continues today.

NWF’s Legacy of Grassroots Environmentalism

The fourth chapter of the film focuses on Mendes and the Brazilian rubber tappers’ efforts to stop cattle ranchers from clearing the forest for pastures. As has been chronicled here before, NWF worked closely with Chico Mendes and other Brazilian rubber tappers, who peacefully put their bodies on the line to save the rainforest during the 1980s. This movement, and the uproar over Mendes’ assassination, pushed the environmental movement to a global scale. This chapter of the film concludes by highlighting recent grassroots environmental movements that are making a difference in developing countries.

This latest IPCC report also assures readers that ambitious mitigation action will barely make a dent in the global economy, without even taking into account co-benefits such as improved public health. We can’t make these cuts unless we communicate just how dire the situation is, and NWF continues to be on the front lines of informing Americans of the dangers of global climate change.

Speak up for Wildlife

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/nwf-featured-in-a-fierce-green-fire-on-pbs/feed/0Weekly News Roundup – April 12, 2013http://blog.nwf.org/2013/04/weekly-news-roundup-april-12-2013/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/04/weekly-news-roundup-april-12-2013/#commentsFri, 12 Apr 2013 17:58:04 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=78430Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s NWF news:

April 10 – A national sportsmen’s coalition looks forward to working with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on continuing the important job of restoring balance to public-lands management and implementing oil and gas leasing reforms started by her predecessor.

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development congratulated Jewell on her confirmation by the U.S. Senate Wednesday and urged her to provide strong leadership to conserve clean air and water, fish and wildlife habitat and preserve the public-lands legacy that has helped shape the nation’s economy and identity.

“SFRED and millions of sportsmen believe in responsible development of energy resources on our multiple use public lands. We are not, however, willing to sacrifice fish and wildlife habitat, populations, water resources, and recreational opportunities to poorly planned development,” the CEOs and presidents of the coalition’s three lead partners wrote in an April 10 letter to Jewell.

The letter lists the coalition’s top six priorities and was signed by Larry Schweiger of the National Wildlife Federation, Whit Fosburgh of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Chris Wood of Trout Unlimited.

April 10 – With the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee set to hold a hearing on the nomination of Gina McCarthy as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator on Thursday, the National Wildlife Federation urges a fair hearing and clean up-or-down confirmation vote.

“The Environmental Protection Agency will need her leadership as it continues working to confront the climate crisis,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “While President Obama has made clear that he prefers to work with Congress to find bipartisan compromise on climate action, in the face of Congress’ continued failure to act meaningfully on climate change, it’s essential that the Environmental Protection Agency uses its Clean Air Act authority to finalize and implement limits on industrial carbon pollution.”

The National Wildlife Federation began an online campaign in key states on Monday urging U.S. Senate to support the clean water concerns of sportsmen and confirm McCarthy, part of a coalition campaign going online in 11 states. The ads read:

Clean water matters to [state]. It drives our economy and defines our values. No wonder 79% of sportsmen support the Clean Water Act. Tell Senator XX to stand strong for sportsmen and support Gina McCarthy for EPA.

Click here to learn more about NWF’s efforts to advocate for wildlife-friendly renewable energy.

April 9 – Fifty law professors from across the country have signed onto a letter asking for the removal of two provisions in the current version of the Water Resources Development Act that prevent effective environmental reviews of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposals.

“I have always considered Senator Boxer a friend to the environment and I’m shocked she would put her name on this bill,” said Holly Doremus, a professor of Environmental Regulation at the University of California–Berkeley School of Law. “The bill as it stands would allow the Corps to do an end-run around careful environmental review.”

This bill was co-sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA). The almost 300-page bill was introduced just three weeks ago on a Friday evening and voted on by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee the following Wednesday. The full Senate could vote on the bill as early as Thursday.

“The history of the Corps water program has all too often been a story of taxpayer dollars being poured into projects with greatly exaggerated benefits and massively underestimated costs,” said Zygmunt J.B. Plater, a law professor at Boston College. “As written, this bill puts the fox in charge of the hen house. If the bill passes, we’ll see even more taxpayer dollars sunk into dysfunctional projects that hurt the national interest.”

We spent last weekend talking with hunters and anglers (and hikers and boaters) at the annual Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) show in the Augusta civic center. It was a great, long weekend of fun!

We gave out a couple thousand Ranger Rick, Animal Baby, and Big Backyard magazines as well as copies of our On Thin Ice report, which is about how warm winters are impacting sporting traditions. We even had a Maine-specific NWF fact sheet about warm winter impacts, written by Eric Orff, a Game and Fish Commission member and retired wildlife biologist.

We had a massive moose antler and some moose jaws with ages on them, which started lots of conversations about the decline in moose numbers and the issues with increasing tick numbers really hitting moose hard, especially the calves.

We asked folks to sign comment cards to go to the Environmental Protection Agency to ask them to protect brook trout and other species (including humans) from air pollution like carbon and mercury that come out of smokestacks of coal fired power plants. You can take action here to add your voice to the tens of thousands who have already spoken up!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/04/nwf-goes-to-the-maine-sportsmens-show/feed/0Three Ways to Show Your Love for the Gulfhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/three-ways-to-show-your-love-for-the-gulf/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/three-ways-to-show-your-love-for-the-gulf/#commentsTue, 14 Feb 2012 21:39:14 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=44827Valentine’s Day is the day you show a little extra love for all the special people in your life. But what about those special places?

The BP oil disaster sent over 200 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, putting hundreds of species of wildlife in harm’s way.

BP appears to be on the verge of settling all federal charges related to the spill. Unless Congress takes action, BP’s penalties could be used for unrelated federal spending, instead of being used to restore the Gulf.

That’s not right. One solution is a bipartisan bill called the RESTORE Act that will dedicate money from BP’s oil spill fines to Gulf restoration.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/three-ways-to-show-your-love-for-the-gulf/feed/0Video: Share the Love for Offshore Windhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/video-share-the-love-for-offshore-wind/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/video-share-the-love-for-offshore-wind/#commentsTue, 14 Feb 2012 16:12:21 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=44431On Valentine’s Day hundreds of advocates from across Maryland gathered in Annapolis to share the love for offshore wind. Appropriately-sited offshore wind will help Maryland achieve its renewable energy goals, reduce emissions, and improve air and water quality, while ensuring the protection of the Atlantic’s precious ecosystem and specifically its fish and wildlife resources.

Offshore Wind Works For Maryland

Offshore wind will help improve our environment and quality of life while bolstering our economy. The average price of electricity in Maryland has doubled over the last decade, in large part due to the volatile cost of fossil fuels. We currently import 30% of our energy from neighboring states, primarily coal from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Because the fuel (wind) is free, offshore wind power offers the ability to lock-in long-term energy prices for 25 years or more without the threat of rising fossil fuel prices. In addition, one moderate-sized offshore wind farm would create 1,550 jobs for Maryland workers.

Show Your Support for Maryland Offshore Wind

Join the National Wildlife Federation in working with supporters and a broad coalition of partners all along the Atlantic coast to build momentum and support for the rapid, responsible development of our offshore wind energy resources. By diversifying our energy portfolio with offshore wind we can help ensure energy security, price stability, and pollution reductions while achieving significant environmental benefits over fossil fuels which are the biggest threat to our environment.

You can demonstrate your support for the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2012 by contacting your delegate and senator.

Farming and ranching makes a huge contribution to the economy of the Great Plains states

Until recently, pipeline safety wasn’t an issue that consumed a lot of oxygen on Capitol Hill. But the nationwide storm over the Keystone XL pipeline has thrust this subject front and center, with a tremendous amount riding on the outcome.

In its original application for a Presidential permit, TransCanada Corp. (the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline) planned a route that would have cut through the sensitive Sandhills region of Nebraska.

Fierce opposition from farmers, ranchers, and citizens of every political stripe forced the company to scrap that idea.

Now TransCanada is trying to identify a new route.

Any Pipeline Through Nebraska Puts the Ogallala Aquifer at Risk

Even though the oil industry was forced to make this concession to public health, a much vaster resource is still threatened: the Ogallala aquifer, which provides 30% of the groundwater used for irrigation in the United States, and drinking water for 2 million people.

Almost any feasible pipeline route through Nebraska will still run over the Ogallala aquifer.

The aquifer’s enormous stores of fresh water are the only reason the “Breadbasket of America” can exist–it irrigates farms that harvest nearly 20 percent of our wheat and cotton, and 15 percent of the U.S. corn–and makes possible a booming cattle industry across the Plains states.

The Ogallala aquifer stretches across 8 states and supplies billions of gallons of fresh water for irrigation

Tar Sands Pipelines: A Disaster in Waiting

Oil spills happen all the time–a dirty secret that’s not so secret anymore, thanks to the scrutiny faced by the industry the last few years. And tar sands pipelines in particular have been in the news for all the wrong reasons:

An Easy Choice

It’s obvious that tar sands pose an enormous risk to the Ogallala aquifer and the crops that feed Americans from coast to coast. Public polling on the issue reflects this concern: According to a Feb. 3 poll conducted by Hart Research Associates, 64% of voters think that the risk of a toxic oil spill in the Ogallala aquifer was a “very convincing” or “somewhat convincing” reason to block construction of Keystone XL. And after hearing pro and con arguments, a wide plurality of voters supported the White House’s decision to deny the permit (47% support, 36% oppose, and 17% undecided or no opinion).

Randy Thompson, a rancher whose land Keystone XL would cut through, put it in plain terms:

Perhaps it’s just my Nebraska logic, but from my perspective it appears that the United States is getting the short end of the stick on this deal. Canada and the big oil companies are reaping the rewards while Americans are being left to fix the fence.

When you hear it like that, you realize that this debate boils down to a pretty simple question: Do we decide to protect Americans’ food supply and drinking water, or pad the profits of foreign oil companies that want to cut through our farmland on the way to overseas markets? It should be an easy choice.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/tar-sands-or-farm-lands-keystone-xls-threat-to-americas-breadbasket/feed/4We Must Care for the Oceanshttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/we-must-care-for-the-oceans/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/we-must-care-for-the-oceans/#commentsTue, 07 Feb 2012 21:54:33 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=44223Six decades ago, Rachel Carson wrote about the “bewildering abundance” of life found in the surface waters of the seas. While conducting her studies, she discovered that some fish migratory patterns were changing. She was the first scientist to suggest that temperature changes in ocean currents were altering those patterns, and she alerted us that the oceans were responding to a warming world in The Sea Around Us.

Today, we know that Rachel’s observations about “the global thermostat” were prescient. Recent studies confirm that the oceans have indeed warmed by about 1 degree F to a depth of 200 feet, and the overwhelming scientific consensus is that increasing levels of human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are the principal cause of this profound change in marine temperatures.

Since higher surface-water temperatures amplify hurricane intensities, the implications of warming seas should not be ignored. As ocean temperatures continue to increase, hurricanes are expected to have stronger winds and produce more rainfall—unwelcome news for coastal areas already experiencing storm-related losses.

Warmer ocean currents also can introduce migrating fish and invasive species to areas they previously didn’t inhabit, and the new arrivals can overwhelm native populations or alter newfound aquatic habitats. Warm waters tend to amplify the threats of pollution and exacerbate overfishing on weakened marine systems. Overheated, these systems have less ability to hold oxygen, threatening near-shore habitats that carry high pollution loads. Degraded estuaries, tidal flats, bays and other nursery waters are at particular risk. These fragile habitats can become oxygen-deprived faster in a warming world. Oxygen depletion is not limited to coastal habitats, however. It is a growing menace to vast oceanic regions.

As water temperatures rise, the ocean’s most productive and sensitive ecosystems are showing the strain. On reefs, the algae living symbiotically within coral die, leaving the telltale ghostly bleached coral skeletons. Lacking algae for prolonged periods, the coral can suffer irreversible decline and, ultimately, death. Loss of coral has enormous implications for fish and the rest of the marine web of life, as well as coastal communities.

Researchers have documented that warming ocean currents have accelerated melting of the floating Arctic sea ice sheet and the decline and breakup of Antarctic ice shelves. Greenland is now losing an estimated 100 billion tons of ice annually as a result of this accelerated melting. And sea levels are now projected to rise much faster than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 as a result of this acceleration, further threatening coastal habitats and human infrastructures.

Warming is not the only threat to our seas. Oceans collectively absorb about 25 percent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, and they are becoming more acidic as carbonic acid accumulates. This has caused seawater to become more corrosive to shells and marine organism skeletons, and is interfering with production of phytoplankton.

A recently published study revealed that phytoplankton has declined by about 40 percent in the past 60 years. Another study suggests that increasing acidity reduces the availability of iron, an element crucial to phytoplankton production. Because iron already is limited in marine waters, increased acidity may have grave implications.

This is extremely important to everyone, even those of us who don’t visit beaches, scuba dive or go deep-sea fishing. Phytoplankton are responsible for more than 50 percent of the oxygen-producing photosynthesis on the planet. They also are vital building blocks in the oceanic web of life.

I wish I were making this stuff up. Sadly, the facts about these threats are well-documented in scientific literature. The simple truth is this: If we continue to pollute the air with carbon dioxide, the more acidic oceans will block iron needed for phytoplankton and become more corrosive to the shells of marine organisms. This will surely threaten the entire marine food web.

While more research can help us better understand the full range of consequences of human-induced acidification, carbon pollution clearly is acidifying the oceans, as well as heating our atmosphere. Leading climate scientist Robert Corell has determined that even with carbon reductions planned by 194 nations, average global temperature is expected to rise by 4 degrees F by 2050 and acidification of our oceans would continue.

What can each of us do to help reverse this crisis? Tell the president and Congress—and everyone who aspires to those elected offices—we need a science-based energy policy that ends carbon emissions. To learn more about NWF’s efforts to protect and restore coastal areas and combat warming, visit www. nwf.org/globalwarming and http://www.nwf.org/Oil-Spill/On-the-Ground.aspx.

BP returned to profit with a bang last year, posting net earnings of $23.9 billion on Tuesday, as the British energy giant prepared for a criminal trial over the US Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. … [H]igher oil prices offset a drop in production, according to a group statement.

The London-listed energy major also signalled its recovery by hiking its shareholder dividend for the first time since the devastating April 2010 spillage that ravaged the company’s fortunes.

BP also reported $14 billion in cash on hand, and its CEO made clear he’s ready to pursue an Exxon Mobil-style legal strategy. “As I have said before, we are prepared to settle if we can do so on fair and reasonable terms, but equally, if this is not possible, we are preparing vigorously for trial,” said Bob Dudley.

NWF Staff Photo

“Nearly two years after the Gulf oil disaster BP has still not fulfilled its commitment to the Gulf of Mexico, but instead is preparing for their upcoming trial with a full war chest,” said Jeremy Symons, senior vice president of conservation and education with National Wildlife Federation.“BP’s announcement on their annual profits today shows that they have available funds for widespread restoration but choose to use their money for commercials showcasing their broken promises to the Gulf of Mexico.”

There was a lot of excitement this afternoon at the Wind Technology Testing Facility in Charlestown MA. NWF and other local and national groups were present as state and federal officials came together to move offshore wind forward in the federal waters off Massachusetts.

NWF was there because we believe that global warming is the single biggest threat to wildlife, and we have to move forward to develop clean energy in a way that is environmentally responsible . National Wildlife Federation supports the development of offshore wind energy as a critical part of the solution to climate change, which threatens wildlife and habitat across the globe. From sea level rise to the warming of mountain peaks, entire species and ecosystems are in jeopardy.

The official announcement was very heavy in acronyms and but the basics are this: Things are moving on offshore wind in Massachusetts! Environmental groups and state agencies are excited! The public is interested! And the Obama administration is moving the process forward with a steady hand! (If you want more details and all the acronyms, the press release is here).

“If we get clean energy right here in Massachusetts, the whole world will be our customer” said Massachusetts Energy Undersecretary Barbara Kates-Garnick

Recent weird weather (tornadoes in January, severe flooding, wildfires and drought) shows that we must pursue clean and environmentally sound energy like offshore wind, says Sue Reid of the Conservation Law Foundation

The facility itself was really cool, too. There were three massive blades that are being tested for flex, stress, etc – the picture above is of one of the blades – it is hard to tell the scale in my picture, but let me tell you, they are huge.

The next step is two information sessions that the Bureau of Ocean Energy management is having soon. These will be a chance to speak up and say that offshore wind is a good way to address our energy needs, create jobs, and protect our precious natural resources.

The first one is on Martha’s Vineyard on Monday, February 13 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, 54 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

The next is in Boston on Tuesday, February 14 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 2nd floor, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston. Come out and show some LOVE for offshore wind on Valentine’s Day!

According to the world’s leading scientists, as many as 30% of species worldwide will face extinction this century if warming trends continue. If we are to protect wildlife from the dangers of a warming world, then we must take appropriate, responsible action to bring the offshore wind energy resources of the Atlantic Ocean ashore. National Wildlife Federation is working with a broad coalition of partners to build momentum and support for the rapid, environmentally-responsible development of our offshore wind energy resources.

We look forward to working with everyone to make environmentally responsible renewable energy happen offshore in Massachusetts and beyond.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/offshore-wind-gets-moving-in-massachusetts/feed/0Historic New Standards for the Next Generation of Vehicleshttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/01/historic-new-standards-for-the-next-generation-of-vehicles/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/01/historic-new-standards-for-the-next-generation-of-vehicles/#commentsTue, 17 Jan 2012 15:05:43 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=41992Last week in Detroit I delivered this testimony on behalf of National Wildlife Federation at a hearing on proposed light duty vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model years 2017-2025.

In 2009, when the tide was flowing against the auto industry, National Wildlife Federation stood up to support the auto recovery package because we believed that the U.S. auto industry could innovate to build the kind of clean cars and trucks that consumers – and our environment, increasingly demand. Since then, the U.S. auto industry and its workers have proven they have what it takes for America to lead in a prosperous, clean energy future. The standards being considered at the hearing today — which will double fuel economy from today’s levels by 2025 — are critical to staying on this path.

These standards are also critical for wildlife, which faces both the global threat of climate change and the direct impacts of oil spills and pollution. By themselves, the 2017-2025 standards will save 4 billion barrels of oil and cut 2 billion metric tons of carbon pollution. Taken together with the light and heavy duty vehicle standards being implemented now, they cut more oil than we get from the Persian Gulf, Venezuela, and Russia combined and cut carbon pollution annually by more than 650 million metric tons-equivalent to 10% of total U.S. carbon pollution today.This is the single biggest step America has ever taken to cut carbon pollution and reduce our oil dependence.